


Walmart Happenings

by gunpowder_and_pearls



Series: Zukka Oneshots! [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cute Zuko (Avatar), M/M, Quarantine, Sokka is Ready to Throw Hands, Sokka is tol and angry, Sokka will fight anyone who says otherwise, Walmart, Zuko is A Gift, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 05:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gunpowder_and_pearls/pseuds/gunpowder_and_pearls
Summary: Zuko just wanted to buy his fruit.Sokka just wanted to grab another couple dozen neon Hawaiian shirts.He’s sure the racist in aisle seven didn’t want to get destroyed by Sokka and his want to throw hands at any given moment.But we can’t get everything we want.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zukka Oneshots! [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890166
Comments: 20
Kudos: 366





	Walmart Happenings

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote another quarantine zukka fic!!!
> 
> Warning: is slightly political, please don’t read if you’re an asshole

Sokka and Zuko have different end goals. That's all. Their friends might not understand why they had to separate, but when one boyfriend thinks that getting good bananas is a priority over picking through graphic t-shirts to find the ones with puns, something has to happen. 

Zuko is somewhere off in the produce section, likely filling his arms with whatever fresh fruit hasn’t already been grabbed by the shoppers who’d been there earlier. Thankfully, there is no need to run to the toilet paper section to grab three rolls before anyone else does. 

Sokka will forever both miss and be grateful that that time in the pandemic was over, because while it was  _ hilarious  _ to watch a Karen clock someone in the face for her ‘ _ super soft and durable’  _ toilet paper rolls, he’d rather not end up with another bruise on his jaw like the last time he got into a scuffle over a set of toilet paper rolls. 

Walmart is much emptier than Sokka expected it to be. He knows he should’ve expected that, what with the pandemic happening, but it’s still a surprise to not have to shoulder his way past some sweaty racist in the deodorant aisle while trying to find Zuko’s favorite scent. 

The new problem seems to be a sudden rise in the amount of Karens that are popping up in public places. Sokka tends to just pretend he can’t see them and then walk in a very wide arc around them. 

He doesn’t want to catch the white-priviledged-asshole disease. He’s not sure if it’s actually contagious, but it seems to be infecting a very large percent of the population so he doesn’t want to risk it.

He fidgets absentmindedly with the ties on his mask as he meanders his way through the clothing section, picking up and discarding various hawaiian shirts, each print more eye-melting than the last. There was one specific shirt, covered in neon pink parrots, that he thought would go very nicely with Zuko’s closet full of black jeans, but he didn’t think the other man would appreciate the style choice nearly as much as Sokka would.

He had planned to grab one for Zuko for his Christmas present, but he needed one that his boyfriend would wear at least  _ once _ . 

Their tradition of one gag gift and one meaningful gift was one they’d kept up since they had gotten together throughout both holidays and birthdays. 

Sokka knows that Christmas is months away, but he likes to be prepared. He’s already bought and hidden Zuko’s meaningful present, and as long as he remembers where he hid it by the time Christmas comes around, he’ll be fine. The only problem is Zuko likes to go on spurts of spring cleaning every October, which could endanger his genius present hiding place.

He edges around one of the many imbeciles who fill Walmart, a Confederate flag tattoo peeking out from under his collar, and does his best to keep his comments to himself. 

Unfortunately, his brain-to-mouth filter does not seem to be on board with the plan of ignoring racists instead of confronting them, and what slips out instead of ‘excuse me’ is, “Wow, I’m surprised you haven’t gotten the shit beaten out of you yet.”

Sokka has never regretted saying anything less. 

The man whirls around, eyes narrowed and fists clenched. He’s wearing a black mask that announces ‘Trump 2020’ in bold letters. Sokka’s surprised he’s even wearing a mask. Likely because he desperately needed deodorant and Walmart wouldn’t let him in without it. Sokka agrees with the man’s potential desperation for deodorant. 

“The hell did you just say to me?” 

Sokka decides that there’s no going back now. “Well, you know. California, protests, confederate flag tattoo. Your lack of a broken nose doesn’t really add up.”

The man rolls his eyes, looks Sokka up and down, and goes, “You don’t know anything, alien. Why don’t you just go back to Mexico?” His expression is triumphant, as if he thinks that those two little sentences are enough to send Sokka running. Sokka’s gotten into arguments with  _ Katara.  _ This man has nothing on her. 

He grins, setting down his basket, because  _ now they’re getting somewhere.  _ Zuko doesn’t like it when Sokka gets into fights, but he’ll never admit it’s because he wanted to throw the first punch instead. At the rate the two of them are going, Katara is going to end up having to bail them out of jail.

Luckily, Sokka has an emergency bank account of savings meant for things such as natural disasters, loss of job or home, and bail. He started saving up when he first met Zuko and started dating him. It began as a joke after Katara made a comment about them getting arrested eventually, and then the joke just faded away. It’s not like it’s  _ Sokka’s  _ fault that their combined fighting skills and zero preservation instincts make for a bad ending. 

__ “First off,  _ sir,  _ I’m a native from Hawaii. My family has been here longer than your pasty-ass bloodline has. Go back to Europe,  _ colonizer.  _ Second off, I live in California. I know a whole lot about Californians’ attitudes towards racists.” He shrugs nonchalantly. “You might wanna get a mouthguard or something to protect that hate-spewing hole of yours.”

He bends to scoop his basket back up and misses the fist that swings for his face. It crashes into the side of his head and sends him stumbling back into the shelves behind him, shopping basket falling from his hands. 

Sokka can tell that the blow is going to give him a bruise and swears, words from both English and  Ōlelo Hawaiʻi falling from his lips as he raises one hand to hold the side of his face. He grins again, ignoring the way his jaw aches at the motion, as he sees a security guard sprinting towards them. 

The security guard skids to a stop between them and glances at them both before turning to Sokka. “Sir, what happened?” She asks. 

Sokka watches the racist sputter over her shoulder as he starts to respond. “I made a comment on this man’s tattoo and then corrected him when he attempted to insult me by calling me an immigrant. He responded with physical violence.”

The security guard glances between the two of them again before nodding decisively. “I’m sorry, sirs, but I’m going to have to ask the both of you to leave.”

Sokka nods in agreement before holding up his phone and wiggling it a little. Zuko would freak out if he couldn’t find Soka when he inevitably went looking for him. “Is it alright if I call my boyfriend first? He’s still somewhere in the food section.”

The woman gives her consent and begins to lead the other man away, who is still loudly protesting his innocence. Sokka fumbles with his phone for a moment before managing to dial Zuko. 

_ “Hello?”  _ The greeting is teasing.  _ “Did you get lost again?” _

Sokka lets out an offended noise. “First off, I’m never lost. I’m trailblazing a new path for  _ future generations. _ ” His boyfriend hums in agreement, a smile clear in the noise. “And uh, secondly...I got kicked out of the store.”

_ “Sokka!”  _

The blue-eyed man grimaces as he hears Zuko suck in a deep breath to continue berating him. “He was a racist!” Zuko pauses in his tirade and Sokka takes his chance. “He had a confederate flag tattoo. What was I supposed to do,  _ not  _ say anything?” 

_ “...fine. Where are you?”  _

“So funny thing, I’m uh. I’m at the entrance. You gotta buy everything, I don’t think they’ll let me stand at the register.” He rubs at the back of his neck sheepishly, glancing at the security guard that’s watching him from the doors. “Uh...how close are you?”

“I’m right here.” 

Sokka hears the sentence through both the tinny speakers of his phone and from right behind him. He jumps slightly and spins around, a smile on his face that he knows Zuko can see even with the mask. “Hey babe.” 

Zuko flushes a little at the endearment and steps closer, extending a hand. “Gimme that basket and then we can go.”

Sokka passes it to him and then, because he is the  _ funniest  _ and  _ hottest  _ (right after Zuko) boyfriend, he winks. “Go quickly. We’ve got things to do.” He is rewarded with the lovely sight of his boyfriend blushing from the neck up as he snatches the shopping basket from Sokka’s hands and hurries towards a register. 

_ Tui and La,  _ he  _ really  _ got the jackpot in boyfriends, didn’t he. 

  
  



End file.
